Xl REPORT — 1866. 



lieport of the Parliamentary Committee to the Meeting of the British 

 Association at Nottingham, August 1866. 



The Parliamentary Committee have the honour to report as follo-n's : — 



Your Committee have to express their regret that another Session of Par- 

 liament has heen allowed to pass away without any step having been taken 

 by the Legislature to promote the study of science in our great pubhc schools. 



In the last Session, howevei-, an Act was passed to amend the Acts rela- 

 ting to the Imperial Standards of Weight, Measure, and Capacity. 



The Act was introduced chiefly for the purpose of carrying out the recom- 

 mendations of a Treasury Committee, which reported in 1864 ; and it M'ill 

 effect some very useful reforms in the constitution of the Office having the 

 custody of the Imperial Standards, whereby the whole organization of the 

 Department will be placed on a more scientific basis. 



An Officer is appointed to be called the Warden of the Standards ; and due 

 provision is made for the periodical comparison of the Imperial and Secondary 

 Standards, a matter which had hitherto been very much neglected. A pro- 

 vision is for the fu'st time made for defining the amount of error to be 

 tolerated in Secondary Standards ; there is also a clause in which it is stated 

 to be the dutj' of the Warden " to conduct all such comparisons, verifications, 

 and other operations with reference to Standards of Length, Weight, and 

 Capacity, in aid of scientific researches, or otherwise, as the Board of Trade 

 from time to time authorize or direct." 



Your Committee have also to express their regret that no steps have as yet 

 been taken to reorganize the Meteorological Department of the Board of 

 Trade, and carry out the valuable suggestions of the Eeport of Mr. Francis 

 Galton and his colleagues, presented to Parliament during the last Session. 



Your Committee will not fail to advocate such measures as may be neces- 

 sary for placing this Department on a satisfactory footing. They wiU 

 neither be unmindful of the part which they took in its original establish- 

 ment, nor of the benefits which it has already conferred, and which, if suc- 

 cessfully reorganized, it will continue to confer on Meteorological Science. 



In conclusion, we recommend that Sir Henry Eawlinson be elected a 

 Member of our Committee. 



Weoxteslet, 



Chairman. 



loth August, 18G6. • 



